Last fall, the Belleville’s Parks and Open Spaces department planted Legacy tulips, one for each name on the monuments at the Belleville Cenotaph, to acknowledge the unique relationship between Canada and Holland as part of Liberation 75 celebrations.
During the Second World War, Canadian soldiers bravely battled in Europe, leading the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945. Princess Juliana gifted 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canadians for their role in liberating the Dutch and providing refuge for her family during the war. The Netherlands has presented Canada with 20,000 bulbs every year since then, thereby creating the inspiration in 1953 for the very first Canadian Tulip Festival, a symbol of friendship between nations and a celebration of spring renewal in the national capital region.
“With spring’s arrival we are starting to see these tulips break through the soil and it is rewarding to know the bulbs planted last fall are soon to add beautiful colour to Memorial Park,” said Rowland Cave-Browne-Cave, Supervisor Parks and Open Spaces. “Residents may be curious as to why fencing has been installed on the lawn by the Cenotaph and we want them to understand this has been done as a protective measure for the tulips. Once the flower head has developed, the fencing will be removed and we will all enjoy not only the splendor of the display, but also the historical significance that inspired it.”
The tulip has become the symbol of friendship between the Netherlands and Canada, and the City of Belleville is proud to have this display and what it represents at the Belleville Cenotaph.
